FTC Bans BetterHelp, Inc. From Revealing Consumers' Sensitive Health Data To Third Parties For Advertising

The practice of turning over our personal data to online platforms is nothing new and, some may argue, a routine practice of using the Internet today. A survey by the Pew Research Internet Project reveals that roughly six-in-ten U.S. adults do not think it is possible to go through daily life without having data collected about them by companies or the government - and more than 60% of people are concerned about this.

Most of the time, providing this information feels non-threatening. For example, consider going to the grocery store and entering your phone number for your loyalty rewards account. Harmless enough. What we do not tend to think about, though, is that phone number then attaching to your name and all of your shopping preferences each time you enter it into the kiosk and begin to scan your items. Now, by providing merely your phone number, a substantial profile of your eating habits now exists, explaining why you might receive just the coupon you needed